TheBeardedFatGuy
Birdie Member
Has anyone on this forum ever put together a list of tips for those just getting to dyeing discs? Here's some tips I'd give based on things I've actually tried. What tried and true tips would you add?
1. Best brand of dye to use? iDye Poly, available at craft stores or order online. Make sure it's the Poly - iDye has non-poly dye, too, and it doesn't work. Once it's mixed with water you can use and reuse it for several dye jobs. A good cheap way to store dye once mixed is in glass mason jars with screw tops for canning. A good sized grocery store usually has sets of these jars for not a lot of money.
2. Rit brand dye doesn't work. There's advice and videos still out there that say to use Rit brand dye, but Rit changed the formula a few years ago and now it won't dye plastic worth a damn.
3. Every time you are working with the dye, from the moment you cut the dye package open through the dying and cleaning of dyed discs, be very careful of dripping or splashing. Wear clothes you wouldn't care if they were splashed with dye. There's many things the dye won't color, like glass, metal and porcelain (the dye will rinse or wipe off these easily), but you could permanently color any plastic, cloth, linoleum or wood if you get it on them.
4. To remove the stamp on a disc prior to dying, wipe it with acetone on a paper towel. You can buy pure acetone at the hardware store, or, if you can't find it, you can use nail polish remover (usually a mix of acetone and alcohol). If the stamp won't come off easily with acetone, the plastic probably won't color with dye well. You might get a faint color at best. Also, take the same precautions with acetone you would with dye - it can ruin your clothes, furniture, carpet and other surfaces.
5. Will a particular plastic take a dye? Again, a good rule of thumb is if the stamp on the disc doesn't come off easily with acetone, then the plastic probably won't take a dye well.
6. Best color disc to show your dye job? White of course. The darker the base color of the disc, the less your own dye colors will show up, and the less likely they are to look like the color you want.
7. To mask areas of the disc to prevent them from being dyed (so they retain the color of the disc's plastic, or a base coat of dye you colored it with), a good cheap solution is to buy a roll of adhesive shelf liner. If you can find it, white, unpatterned liner is best. Colored or patterned liner makes it harder to see your pattern or cut it out.
8. To get an image on the liner, make a cheap light box by buying a transparent plastic storage tub with a smooth bottom and turning it upside down to make a table-like surface. Put a bright light under the tub (I use the flashlight app on my phone). With your design printed or hand drawn on paper, put it on the light box and put a piece of shelf liner over it - tape them both down to keep them from moving. The light under the tub will shine through, making it easy to trace the pattern onto the shelf line.
9. With the pattern traced on the liner, put it on a surface you don't mind cutting up and cut the pattern out with an exacto knife. Remember, you want to leave the areas that are to be protected from the dye. Example: to get a red skull onto a white disc, you would cut out those areas you want to turn red and leave those areas you want to stay the white of the disc.
10. Peal the back of the shelf liner off and carefully lay the adhesive sideon the disc. Smooth it down by working from the center out with a plastic card or ruler. Do your best to get any bubbles out as they can cause the dye to bleed under the liner where you don't want it.
11. Remove the areas of the shelf liner pattern you want to dye by cutting them out carefully with an exacto knife and then removing. Don't press any harder than you need to or you will score the disc plastic, which can cause it to split there over time when you smack a tree or other obstacle.
12. Cheap and disposable vessels to dye in are those aluminum foil cake pans sold in grocery stores. Make sure it's big enough for the disc to float in without touching the sides. Put it on a stove burner, pour the dye in until there's just enough for the overturned disc to float without risking touching the bottom. Turn the burner on its lowest warm setting and let the dye heat - don't let it boil. Hot dye will penetrate the plastic better than cold. If the dye is too hot it could warp the plastic of the disc, permanently changing how it flies.
13. Clean the disc thoroughly with warm water and dishwashing liquid to remove any oils - even just handling the disc can leave oils on it that can cause uneven dyeing. Dry thoroughly. Fold a couple pieces of tape over and tape to the bottom of the disc near the rim on opposite ends of the disc. These will be used as handles for removing the disc from the dye later.
14. Carefully float the disc upside down in the dye. Keep the pan on low heat and leave the floating disc for at least 20 minutes. Longer can ensure deeper color, but it can also allow more bleeding of dye under the edges of the shelf liner.
15. When time is up, remove the disc carefully by lifting straight up by the tape handles. Hold it there and gently shake any remaining dye back into the pan. Transfer the disc to the sink by setting in an empty pan to prevent drippage. Rinse immediately under cold water until dye is removed. Don't worry, the dye won't stain metal or porcelain sinks, but if you drip it on linoleum or other floor material you could have permanent color spots on your floor.
16. Once all dye has been removed, peel the remaining pieces of shelf liner off.
17. To dye a pattern with more than just the color of the disc and a single dye color, you can apply a second shelf liner pattern and repeat with another color. To preserve the areas you want to remain the disc color or the color of the first dye color your shelf liner will have to cover those areas. If the first dye color was black you don't have to worry about it being colored by the 2nd dye - always dye from darkest color to lightest.
18. One way to get multiple dye colors on a disc without having to muck about with shelf liner is to mix small amounts of the dyes with any paste (flour and dye works well). Make sure it's thick enough that it won't run. Brush onto the disc to paint a pattern. This works well for less-than-precise spiral or windmill patterns. As long as you don't care if the colors bleed together or the edges aren't exact, this method can make some nice looking patterns.
19. Once you're done dyeing, carefully pour the remaining dye from the pan back into its storage jar. You can reuse this dye several times, which is a great money saver.
20. An alternative to shelf liner masking is to use Elmer's or some other glue to mask areas. Let dry really well (like overnight) or the glue will soften and come off once in the wet dye. A nice pattern can be done by covering the disc with random dots or lines of glue.
21. Got a really cool dyed disc you'd be crushed if you lost? Hang it on the wall and don't risk losing it. The cooler it looks and the more effort you put into making it, the more it will hurt to lose. And, the more likely some jerk is to want to keep it instead of calling your number to get it back to you.
22. How do you spin dye? No, seriously, I have no idea as I've never tried it.
1. Best brand of dye to use? iDye Poly, available at craft stores or order online. Make sure it's the Poly - iDye has non-poly dye, too, and it doesn't work. Once it's mixed with water you can use and reuse it for several dye jobs. A good cheap way to store dye once mixed is in glass mason jars with screw tops for canning. A good sized grocery store usually has sets of these jars for not a lot of money.
2. Rit brand dye doesn't work. There's advice and videos still out there that say to use Rit brand dye, but Rit changed the formula a few years ago and now it won't dye plastic worth a damn.
3. Every time you are working with the dye, from the moment you cut the dye package open through the dying and cleaning of dyed discs, be very careful of dripping or splashing. Wear clothes you wouldn't care if they were splashed with dye. There's many things the dye won't color, like glass, metal and porcelain (the dye will rinse or wipe off these easily), but you could permanently color any plastic, cloth, linoleum or wood if you get it on them.
4. To remove the stamp on a disc prior to dying, wipe it with acetone on a paper towel. You can buy pure acetone at the hardware store, or, if you can't find it, you can use nail polish remover (usually a mix of acetone and alcohol). If the stamp won't come off easily with acetone, the plastic probably won't color with dye well. You might get a faint color at best. Also, take the same precautions with acetone you would with dye - it can ruin your clothes, furniture, carpet and other surfaces.
5. Will a particular plastic take a dye? Again, a good rule of thumb is if the stamp on the disc doesn't come off easily with acetone, then the plastic probably won't take a dye well.
6. Best color disc to show your dye job? White of course. The darker the base color of the disc, the less your own dye colors will show up, and the less likely they are to look like the color you want.
7. To mask areas of the disc to prevent them from being dyed (so they retain the color of the disc's plastic, or a base coat of dye you colored it with), a good cheap solution is to buy a roll of adhesive shelf liner. If you can find it, white, unpatterned liner is best. Colored or patterned liner makes it harder to see your pattern or cut it out.
8. To get an image on the liner, make a cheap light box by buying a transparent plastic storage tub with a smooth bottom and turning it upside down to make a table-like surface. Put a bright light under the tub (I use the flashlight app on my phone). With your design printed or hand drawn on paper, put it on the light box and put a piece of shelf liner over it - tape them both down to keep them from moving. The light under the tub will shine through, making it easy to trace the pattern onto the shelf line.
9. With the pattern traced on the liner, put it on a surface you don't mind cutting up and cut the pattern out with an exacto knife. Remember, you want to leave the areas that are to be protected from the dye. Example: to get a red skull onto a white disc, you would cut out those areas you want to turn red and leave those areas you want to stay the white of the disc.
10. Peal the back of the shelf liner off and carefully lay the adhesive sideon the disc. Smooth it down by working from the center out with a plastic card or ruler. Do your best to get any bubbles out as they can cause the dye to bleed under the liner where you don't want it.
11. Remove the areas of the shelf liner pattern you want to dye by cutting them out carefully with an exacto knife and then removing. Don't press any harder than you need to or you will score the disc plastic, which can cause it to split there over time when you smack a tree or other obstacle.
12. Cheap and disposable vessels to dye in are those aluminum foil cake pans sold in grocery stores. Make sure it's big enough for the disc to float in without touching the sides. Put it on a stove burner, pour the dye in until there's just enough for the overturned disc to float without risking touching the bottom. Turn the burner on its lowest warm setting and let the dye heat - don't let it boil. Hot dye will penetrate the plastic better than cold. If the dye is too hot it could warp the plastic of the disc, permanently changing how it flies.
13. Clean the disc thoroughly with warm water and dishwashing liquid to remove any oils - even just handling the disc can leave oils on it that can cause uneven dyeing. Dry thoroughly. Fold a couple pieces of tape over and tape to the bottom of the disc near the rim on opposite ends of the disc. These will be used as handles for removing the disc from the dye later.
14. Carefully float the disc upside down in the dye. Keep the pan on low heat and leave the floating disc for at least 20 minutes. Longer can ensure deeper color, but it can also allow more bleeding of dye under the edges of the shelf liner.
15. When time is up, remove the disc carefully by lifting straight up by the tape handles. Hold it there and gently shake any remaining dye back into the pan. Transfer the disc to the sink by setting in an empty pan to prevent drippage. Rinse immediately under cold water until dye is removed. Don't worry, the dye won't stain metal or porcelain sinks, but if you drip it on linoleum or other floor material you could have permanent color spots on your floor.
16. Once all dye has been removed, peel the remaining pieces of shelf liner off.
17. To dye a pattern with more than just the color of the disc and a single dye color, you can apply a second shelf liner pattern and repeat with another color. To preserve the areas you want to remain the disc color or the color of the first dye color your shelf liner will have to cover those areas. If the first dye color was black you don't have to worry about it being colored by the 2nd dye - always dye from darkest color to lightest.
18. One way to get multiple dye colors on a disc without having to muck about with shelf liner is to mix small amounts of the dyes with any paste (flour and dye works well). Make sure it's thick enough that it won't run. Brush onto the disc to paint a pattern. This works well for less-than-precise spiral or windmill patterns. As long as you don't care if the colors bleed together or the edges aren't exact, this method can make some nice looking patterns.
19. Once you're done dyeing, carefully pour the remaining dye from the pan back into its storage jar. You can reuse this dye several times, which is a great money saver.
20. An alternative to shelf liner masking is to use Elmer's or some other glue to mask areas. Let dry really well (like overnight) or the glue will soften and come off once in the wet dye. A nice pattern can be done by covering the disc with random dots or lines of glue.
21. Got a really cool dyed disc you'd be crushed if you lost? Hang it on the wall and don't risk losing it. The cooler it looks and the more effort you put into making it, the more it will hurt to lose. And, the more likely some jerk is to want to keep it instead of calling your number to get it back to you.
22. How do you spin dye? No, seriously, I have no idea as I've never tried it.
